Illyana Rasputina
Skills Soulsword-''' Illyana is the bearer of the Soulsword, a weapon crafted from her own soul by magic and able to be called or dispelled at will. It is the symbol of her rulership over Limbo as well, and only the ruler of Limbo can bear it, just as the one who bears it rules Limbo, and no one can take it without her willing consent. The sword is unable to cut purely physical things; if asked to cut a boulder nothing will happen. However, it will cleave easily through anyon e or anything magical, otherworldly or incorporeal, and if swung through a spell or an enchanted or transformed person or thing the spell will break. Magik's magical abilities are also slightly amplified if she is holding it. 'Mystic Armor-' When holding the Soulsword parts of Illyana's body are covered with a silvery armor that is much like that of her brother Colossus and protects her from harm, as well as granting a limited amount of improved strength. However, summoning this armor also causes horns to appear on her forehead, she grows a demonic-looking red tail and the lower half of her legs become goat-like and cloven-hooved. This is her Darkchylde form and brings her one step closer to slipping into the dark side of her personality. Anyone holding the Soulsword starts to grow the same sort of armor. 'Sorcery (Dark and Light)-' A capable magic user from her time in Limbo, she is able to use both dark and light magic, something which is strengthened by holding her Soulsword. In Limbo her power is limitless but being cut off from it makes her far less so and she is only able to use simple spells, project herself astrally, scry and sense magic. Using the darker form of her magic also brings out the latent Darkchylde side of herself and can bring on the transformation, including the horns, tail and hooves, as well as bringing darker urges to the surface. 'Psionic Shield-' From being in Limbo so long as well as having a partially demonic soul people with psychic or magical abilities to read minds find it next to impossible to get into hers or even sense her psionically if required to do so. These shields can be dropped if she actively chooses to do so. 'Fighting/Survival Skills-' Seven years in Limbo learning to survive taught Illyana to fight and even when not using her Soulsword she's very able to keep herself and others alive. She has also learned a good deal of solitary survival skills, and has had access to the Danger Room enough to learn a good deal from unexpected circumstances in battle that might be turned to her advantage. Unfortunately her strength is still that of a physically fit, young teenaged girl unless her Soulsword, armor and therefore demonic nature come into play. 'Beatrice Medallion-' Not quite a power, but a large part of the core of hers, the Beatrice Medallion is a golden locket-style pendant on a chain, about as large as the palm of a hand and radiating dark magic. Inside there is a symbol of a pentagram and other sorcerous markings, as well as three dark red stones at different points of the pentagram's star. These are the bloodstones formed from Illyana's soul as it was corrupted and are what keep her linked to her demonic side. Nothing has been able to pry them free thus far and even when removed from her vicinity its power still reaches her. She hates it and what it represents, but will guard it with her life. Personality As a very small child Illyana was completely innocent and sweet, with a smile that could make people feel better just by seeing it, and her naivity and gentleness won the hardest of hearts- and perhaps within her, somewhere, that girl still lives. Now though she has been shaped by a lifetime of hardship most people could not imagine in their wildest nightmares, and that has left her with a warped mentality. It isn't generally that her view of good and evil is particularly off in the most fundimental sense, that has always remained constant, and she fights very hard to stay on the side of good, working for the benefit of those she cares about, family, friends, team and the ideals that she was taught to uphold. It's the reaction to the things which are good or evil that have become skewed, making her reactionary, impulsive, drastic and highly fatalistic. Aside from this she has a few other things working either for or against her favor, depending on a person's view of them. Possessing a quick mind and the ability to adapt to situations she is capable of great cunning and cleverness, often able to work out puzzles that others might stumble over. Whether called determination or ruthlessness she tends to take things as far as they will go, refusing to let ant stumbling blocks remain in her way for very long, and what passes for either bravery or recklessness often keeps her jumping into the fray when the odds are against her so long as it's possible for the fight to be won. She is passionate, but her temper can be short. She regrets the choices she has made at times, but she will not hesitate to make them again. That's only the beginning of her dual nature though. When around her friends, comfortable, happy and secure, and especially around her brother, Kitty or her friends she can be very vibrant, almost bubbly, and a bon vivant of the highest order, charming in her conversation and polite in a cheerful fashion. She has come to love shopping, clothes and outings, and has a skill for games, and with those she cares about she will put herself at risk and even take the blame for the things they've done if she feels she pushed them to that point. There is a darker side though- vengeful, angry, almost instinctive in its quest for retribution and completely impatient to get what she believes are her just desserts. Her rage can become murderous if she is pushed, put to harm or sees others being so and on her team she was the first to call for the damaging, torture or death of her foes. Appearance Illyana is a pretty girl with long, blonde hair that reaches the bottom of her back, bright blue eyes, finely boned face and high cheekbones. There is a look in her eyes that speaks of shadows and knowledge that no human should have, but when she smiles her expression brightens to something that looks much younger and sweeter. She stands at about 5'5" and weighs between 120 and 130 lbs of well-toned muscle from regular training and exercise, and while not the most imposing person she moves with grace and confidence. When in her New Mutants uniform she wears a body-suit of yellow and black with a belt and no mask, but being a teenage girl she does enjoy dressing up and wearing flattering things at other times, including the latest fashions. When in a fight though Illyana's appearance can be a bit- shocking. While holding her Souls '''word silvery armor starts to creep across her body, how much depending on the amount of magic she is using or the danger she's in and varying anywhere between just her right arm and shoulder to her entire body. However if her darker nature is coming to the fore she possesses a few other traits as well. Two demonic curling horns grown from her forehead, a long, red tail with an arrowhead-shaped point grows to match it and her legs below the knee become goat-like, furred and end in cloven hooves, calling back to the corrupted part of her soul that will always be linked to dark magic and Limbo itself. Relationships Piotr Rasputin AKA Colossus- Her older brother and fellow hero, who she considers her only blood family. Kitty Pryde AKA Shadowcat- Best friend and soul-bonded fellow hero. Illyana shares a close connection to Kitty both from their time as friends and the things that Illyana endured in Limbo, to the point where if anything were to happen to Magik her Soulsword would pass on to Kitty. Scott Summers- A acquaintance from her time and a friend now, Illyana wants to save him from the grasp of Sebastian Shaw so he can become a hero. Erik Lensherr- Mentor of her world who Magik respects greatly. Sebastian Shaw- Enemy and villain who Illyana would like to see defeated or killed. Taliesin ap Elphin- A friend, team member and romantic interest. Billy Batson- Friend and team member to whom she is close. Illyana treats Billy carefully and becomes very defensive when others seem inclined to hurt him, much as she did Doug Ramsay from her world. Claire Bennet- Friend and teammate. Loki- Enemy and villain whom she also secretly envies for his magical power. History Born on a collective farm on Lake Baikal, Siberia, to her father Nikolai and mother Alexandra, Illyana was proceeded many years before by two brothers- first Mikhail, who was a cosmonaut believed dead before she was even old enough to meet him, and then Piotr, twelve years her elder, who she grew up with as a very protective older brother, and gave her the nickname 'Little Snowflake'. It was saving her from a runaway tractor on the farm where he first publicly demonstrated his ability to grow organic steel armor and manifested his super-strength, gaining the attention of Professor Xavier and a spot on the team of X-Men with the codename of Colossus. After that he left for America and she didn't see him again for some time, but she continued to live in relative comfort within the farm commune. At five years old she was kidnapped by Arcade's associate Miss Locke as a hostage to guarantee the help of the X-men in retrieving Arcade from Doctor Doom, and while a team of the X-men went to do so another group broke into Arcade's Murderworld to retrieve Illyana and the other hostages, a venture which was a success. After this the young girl was brought back to the X-mansion and it was decided that she would stay there in order to ensure her safety and Professor Xavier used his telepathy to teach the other X-men Russian so they could communicate with her more easily. Other than her brother she was particularly close to Kitty Pryde, who told her stories a good deal of the time, and Nightcrawler, who was like an uncle to her. For about a year she was settled in, comfortable and happy- and then the X-men were forced to transfer their headquarters to the Bermuda Triangle. While here Belasco, the demon-lord of Limbo, or Otherplace, noticed her innocence and purity, and lured her into a temple, and then through teleportation disks, into Limbo itself. He painted a picture for her of a wonderful future and, completely trusting, the girl agreed to stay and become his apprentice. When the X-men realized what had happened they ventured after her, and while there ran into some alternate versions of X-men from another dimension in which they'd returned Illyana home but become trapped themselves. Once they had her again that version of Storm attempted to return them all, but this time Belasco grabbed Illyana's arm and while her continuity's version of the team returned home safely, the young girl was trapped. Once they were gone Belasco took Illyana to an altar and broke off a piece of her soul, turning it into a soulstone and binding it into the Beatrice Medallion with the goal of corrupting her soul completely and using the medallion to summon the Elder Gods he served. After this was done he abandoned her into the depths of Limbo, leaving her to fend for herself, and she was found by the half-demonic Cat, the alternate version of Shadowcat, Kitty Pryde, as well as the older sorceress Storm, and they argued over which was better equipped to teach her, with Cat arguing that any lessons in magic would corrupt her faster and Ororo arguing this would allow her to fight. In a rage Cat left and Ororo began her training, starting with astral projection. It was discovered that Illyana was never able to create life as Ororo was, but a year passed this way while she learned other forms of white magick. Even so Illyana sensed that the corruption in her soul was less than that in Ororo's and that made her doubt. Then suddenly in the dark of the night Cat returned and spirited her away without Ororo knowing and began another sort of training- that of fighting and survival skills, and while harsh, unforgiving and not particularly kind Cat and Illyana bonded closely through as they crossed for two years through the desert leading to Belasco's citadel, where Cat tried to phase them both through the dimensional wall and back home, only to be misled. In punishment Belasco turned Cat into a barely-human catlike creature and at a loss, twisted and confused, she bound the second soulstone into the Beatrice Medallion herself. For the next few years Illyana learned dark magic at his hand, coming to master it even as she still secretly wished for a way out. It was by this that she discovered her mutant ability to summon the stepping disks that led between world. In this way she saw a younger version of Storm battling Belasco, but even as she fought him, becoming more like him. Once Belasco had defeated her he attempted to use Ororo's soul to create another soulstone, and out of mercy Illyana snapped her neck. In a rage he turned on the girl and she fled, only to appear at her parent's house in Russia. Overjoyed to be home she ran to their door- but she was now a twelve year old girl, and they were still living in the time she'd first disappeared and turned her away, shutting the door in her face and causing the young girl to break down- and again be captured by Belasco. Once she was back he created the last soulstone and banished her to Ororo's forsaken garden in the dead of winter. Freezing and fearing death Illyana practiced her magic, but was still unable to create life- and so, in the spirit of revenge, she created from herself the Soulsword, and with that she returned to Belasco's citadel, battled him, and was about to kill him, but remembered what happened to Storm and banished him instead. Now the Queen of Limbo she returned to earth via her stepping disks- but only until seconds after she'd parted the X-men, save for the fact she was now thirteen years old. For weeks she kept secret her mutant and magical ability, though the fact that her mind was impenetrable to even Professor Xavier was strange. Then one day as she was helping Kitty with the Danger Room images from her time in Limbo were put into the program, and in a trance-like rage she summoned her soulsword and attacked, hurting Kitty even though she was phasing. Then on her fourteenth birthday the demon Sym came to collect her again, bringing the New Mutants with her to fight and wiping their memories of her magic afterward. However her mutant ability was now known and she studied with the New Mutants from then on with the codename 'Magik'. After run-ins with the Hellions, the White Queen, the Brood, Dire Wraiths and having to admit to her brother her powers while fearing his rejection she was finally starting to get settled when armor started to appear across her body ever time she used her Soulsword- and the more she used it and her sorcery, the more demoic features started to appear on her. About this time the Beyonder discovered her and, intrigued, pulled her demon side to the fore, causing her to drag her team plus Kitty into Limbo, where she attacked them. It wasnt' until Kitty took the sword and used it on her that she reverted to herself. Then, in a strange turn of events, the team was taken to Asgard, where Amora, the Enchantress, caught Illyana, removed her Darkchylde side and used it to collect the rest of the New Mutants, with the torturous side effect of taking all damage done to Darkchylde and passing it on to Illyana instead. The New Mutants managed to rescue her though and after dumping the Enchantress in Limbo Illyana took over her spot for a time until the X-Men came to take them back. Almost inclined to stay, it wasn't until she realized that none of her friends could go home until she did as well that Illyana consented. Another run-in with the Beyonder separated Illyana's halves and left her happy and demon-free, but she saw that this passed the burden on to Kitty and she rejected the Beyonder's 'gift', putting him into a rage that killed all of the New Mutants and wiped them from all memory but Kitty's until he resurrected them again, but as shells of themselves. The only ones able to free them from this lethargy were Magneto, now in charge of the school at Xavier's request, and Emma Frost, the latter of whom tried to keep the children for her own use. After Magneto freed them they finally returned home, only for Magik to discover that her own sorcery was growing darker even as she didn't intend it to, and she refused to use it any further. When forced to by Professor Xavier she grew openly rebellious and it took a long, open-hearted talk with Magneto to set her right again. Soon enough the New Mutants went on their first solo mission, only to have Illyana's closest friend on the team, Cypher, die in the conflict. Enraged, she tried to kill the man responsible, and when stopped instead put him in the tortures of Limbo for all eternity. Returning home brought only more unfortunate news though, and on the news the team watched the faked 'death' of the X-men, not knowing it was staged, Colossus and Kitty Pryde among them, and this sent Illyana into a deep depression. Rewatching the broadcast constantly, she noticed that somehow Forge was a part of this and set off to claim he revenge, the New Mutants in tow, and she was only prevented from killing him by the vision of her greatest fear- the demon she would become. The arrival of Baba Yaga and her own sorrow sent Illyana into Limbo, where she tried to summon her brother back from the dead, and he did arrive- but not because he was dead, though he couldn't tell her the truth. After he easily defeated the monster he left again and at that point she decided not to summon him any longer. Through all of this her control over Limbo was weakening and finally the demon N’astirh tricked the team and Illyana, convincing her to fully embrace her demonic side and then forcing one of her portals to stay open, flooding New York with Limbo's demons. Ashamed that she had let things get so out of hand and let her brother and team down she started to fight once more, doing her best to hold back the onslaught within Limbo itself and watching her team, all except Wolfsbane, fall back to the real world. Just as it seemed there was some final way to win this battle at the cost of her life, a price she was willing to pay, what she assumed was a final attack came for her in the form of black cords. One tug, then another, and Limbo was gone- replaced with an Earth-like realm. Thus she entered Pandora. Pandora History After her arrival Illyana managed to settle in after only a few bumps, moving in with Kitty, helping to free Scott from Shaw's clutches, working as a Knight in the Pandora Military- even getting a boyfriend she adored. But as all things in Pandora it went sour. Now she lives along in the base Doom abandoned that she has converted into a training and HQ area for the new X-men in hopes that when more members arrive they can become a sort of family again.